Best Local Groove/Jam Act

Jiggle The Handle

It's fitting Jiggle the Handle tops this category after a decade of evolution and good times that has had two constants: 1) support from Central Mass audiences, and 2) vocalist Gary Backstrom. When the guitarist joined All You Can Eat for a battle of the bands in 1989, it was a one-shot deal. But the band finished in first place, and they hit it off with Backstrom -- that planted the seeds for what would become Jiggle the Handle. Backstrom's current co-pilots are bassist Chris Q (ex-Hypnotic Clambake), keyboardist Paul Wolstencroft (ex-Planet Be), and Max Creek alum Greg Vasso on drums. Their only studio effort, 1999's In It Again, was named one of the top 10 Home Grown Music Network Studio Albums of the Millennium. Its feel-good vibe is enhanced by a healthy infliction of island sounds with a few Afrobeats thrown in. "Fine Line" could fool you into thinking you're listening to Earth, Wind and Fire. But Jiggle are best known for their live shows, most recently captured on Live at the Stone Coast (Phoenix Rising), which was recorded last July in Portland. Their ever-growing fan base has expanded to the Empire State, where they've become regulars at NYC's Wetlands Preserves and in Western New York. You can catch them next at the Central Square World's Fair on June 4 in Cambridge, where they'll also play two shows at the House of Blues on June 21 and 22. And, of course, they'll always return home to their true fans right here in Wormtown.

-- Brian Goslow